The stovetop in our house isn’t getting as much of a workout as our oven is. It seems as though I am pulling trays of cookies, tins of cupcakes, and pans of cakes out of the oven in record numbers.

 Needless to say, my savory cooking has fallen to the wayside as my fiancé and I are relying on our take out menus to sustain us between cake batter testing.

 It’s easy to go a bit overboard on sweets this season. Case in point: I made 48 cupcakes for a holiday party last weekend and they were all gobbled down. Someone even proclaimed that they were the “best cupcakes [he’d] ever had.” I’m not sure if the holiday spirit had gotten the best of him, or if he was speaking sincerely, but either way, my hard work went to a good cause—making people feel good.

 Some people find pleasure in their favorite team’s winning season; others fill their time and feed their good cheer with hobbies. I prefer to cook and serve—to say, here, I have enough and now you have enough to sustain you and warm you and make you feel like everything is OK. Don’t underestimate the power of food not only as a need, but also as a soul-satisfying want.

I recently watched a unique episode of the Food Network’s Chopped. The premise of Chopped is that four competitors go head-to-head in appetizer, entrée, and dessert rounds. Each chef has to utilize four “mystery basket” ingredients in each dish. The weakest dish is sent packing, and ultimately, two chefs remain for the final dessert round. The winner receives $10,000.

 Usually the show features professional chefs from kitchens all over the United States. This particular episode featured four cafeteria workers from public schools in the U.S. Each woman (“lunch ladies” they were called in the episode) feeds the students in her school on a paltry budget. I think that school nutrition services workers have an immensely difficult job: feed thousands of students for just dollars and make that food tasty, nutritious, and ready to go from 10:12 a.m. to 1:28 p.m. on any given day. No small feat, and yet the cooks featured on Chopped perform their job with unwavering faithfulness and grace. One cafeteria cook stuffs backpacks full of food for her students every Friday as she knows many of them do not have adequate food at their homes over the weekend. Another cook cultivates a garden and uses the fresh vegetables in her students’ meals. The episode was at once heartwarming and heart wrenching, reminding me that one out of every four children in the U.S. does not have enough to eat. It certainly makes my Swiss meringue buttercream look frivolous.

In this time of excess, giving, and receiving, it doesn’t hurt to pause and think of those—even our own community—who may not be able to spend the holidays warm, nourished, or full of good cheer. If you are able, Manna on Main Street right here in Lansdale is always accepting donations for their food pantry. You can find more information at http://www.mannaonmain.org. Another good way to help is to donate to http://www.strength.org or http://www.nokidhungry.org which helps to combat childhood hunger.

            Here are two recipes: one is a simple and healthy vegan pasta that is easy to whip up in less than 15 minutes. The other is a more whimsical dessert for those who are adventurous and want to make the “best cupcakes ever.”

Creamy Avocado Pasta from www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, peeled

2 tbsp of olive oil

½ of a lemon, juiced

1 avocado, pitted

¼ cup of fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper

6 oz of your favorite pasta

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook your pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, place the garlic clove, olive oil, and lemon juice in a blender. Process until well combined. Add the avocado, basil, salt and pepper. Process again until you get a smooth, creamy sauce.

Drain the pasta and put back into the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Garnish with a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest.

No cheese or cream needed!

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes from www.annies-eats.com

(Tastes just like the Starbucks drink!)

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
2+2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp. espresso powder (I used instant espresso granules)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the frosting:
6 large egg whites
1¾ plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir together.  Combine the milk, coffee and peppermint extract in a liquid measuring cup.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Blend in the eggs one at a time.   Alternately mix in the dry and liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Do not fill all the way. You will probably have more batter than for just 24 cupcakes. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more. This could even take up to 30 minutes. Stir in the peppermint and vanilla extracts and mix just until incorporated.

If you would like the red and white swirled frosting effect, remove about half of the frosting to a bowl.  With the remaining frosting in the mixing bowl, add red gel coloring and mix until you have achieved the desired shade.  Fit a pastry bag with a large tip.  Fill one side of the pastry bag with the white frosting, and then fill in the other side with the red frosting (this does not need to be exact – just enough so that both colors are included.)  Pipe a test streak until you see both colors coming out of the tip.  Frost cupcakes as desired, refilling the pastry bag in the same manner as needed.

Garnish with crushed peppermint candies.